The authorities in Peru have declared a state of emergency around a volcano that has begun spitting ash and smoke after almost 40 years of inactivity. The Ubinas volcano in southern Peru started erupting three weeks ago, killing livestock and polluting water. The army has now been brought in to help evacuate nearby villages, although some residents are reluctant to leave. Peru's Institute of Geophysics has warned that a dome of incandescent lava seems to be building up in the crater. The volcano has been spewing out acid-laden ash and smoke over a radius of six kilometres (3.5 miles), causing eye and breathing problems for local people. A regional official said muffled explosions were coming from the volcano and pieces of red-hot lava were expanding inside the crater. Teams of geologists and doctors have been sent to the area to monitor the volcano and the health risks. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk

The government came for the horses at dawn. It was spring 2003 and it was foaling season. A helicopter flew low over Pine Valley, herding them to corrals. Some prematurely gave birth, others were trampled. Armed federal agents stood by. By the end of the day, over 500 horses were taken to be auctioned off to a local rancher. Not long afterwards some 50 carcasses were dumped the horses had starved to death. Carrie Dann, a diminutive Western Shoshone grandmother who owned the horses, refuses to talk about it. “Indians love horses,” is all she’ll say. But she thinks it caused the death of her sister, Mary, who died last April. “After that,” she says, “Mary went down real fast.” The 2003 round-up was the fourth military-style operation in one of the longest-running land disputes in the history of America. For over 30 years, Carrie and Mary Dann have fought the US government for Western Shoshone rights to 60m acres of land that stretch through Nevada into neighbouring states. Until now...http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2099-2142374,00.html

INVADING Iraq is likely to go down as one of the worst US foreign policy blunders ever, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said. The former top US diplomat told the New York Times that Iraq's deposed leader Saddam Hussein "was horrible. But I did not think he was an imminent threat to the United States. "You can't go to war with everybody you dislike," Ms Albright said. "I think Iraq may end up being one of the worst disasters in American foreign policy." Ms Albright, who served under President Bill Clinton, said US foreign policy mistakes under President George W. Bush have left her feeling "sick" about America's current status in global affairs. This woman thought it was ok when our embargo was causing the deaths of thousands of Iraq kids so her credibility as a humanitarian is Zero. When the Clinton administration was causing the deaths in Iraq, it was ok??? Lets get rid of both these completely corrupted parties and completely clean out the Pig Pen...http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18909579-1702,00.html

As wealthy nations offer debt relief to the poorest, they must be sure not to trigger a new lend-and-forgive cycle that becomes endless, U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Sunday. "The clearance of unsustainable debt is a critical component of the broader solution," Snow said in prepared remarks to the Development Committee of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund."However, it also means we must take care that we don't add to these burdens in the near term," he said. The IMF and World Bank need mechanisms to constrain the accumulation of so-called concessional debt -- debt offered at below-market rates -- so countries do not get themselves right back into debt problems."Clear country experience has proved that the rapid accumulation of concessional debt quickly can lead to incidents of debt distress," Snow said....http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060423/bs_nm/economy_worldbank_dc

Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV will face a new trial next month, officials say. The Bulgarian foreign ministry said the trial in Libya would begin on 11 May. In December, Libya's Supreme Court overturned death sentences and ordered a retrial for the medics who say they were tortured into confessing. It is alleged that they deliberately used HIV-tainted blood on children at a hospital in Benghazi in the 1990s. The retrial in the Libyan capital Tripoli is scheduled for 11 May, Bulgarian ministry officials said. In the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Deputy Foreign Minister Feim Chaushev said that he expected it would have a "just" outcome. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4935024.stm

Members of the International Monetary Fund have backed plans which could see an overhaul in the way the sprawling global institution is run. Finance leaders of the IMF's 184 member states endorsed proposals to give the organisation a bigger role in policing the exchange-rate polices of countries. They also backed calls to give emerging economies such as China and India a bigger say in how the IMF is run. The comments came during meetings in Washington of the IMF and World Bank. The IMF is facing increasing calls to reform itself and become more relevant in a rapidly changing world economy. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4935924.stm